Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that demands both high frame rates and consistent frame pacing, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a dataset that shows strong performance across all tested resolutions. The measured results, drawn directly from the benchmark database, indicate that this pairing clears the standard 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset combination, with the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K still holding a comfortable average. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, moving from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K, and the frame time data available for Medium settings provides a window into the stability of the experience at each step.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this configuration covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with average frame rates recorded for every combination and minimum/maximum values captured specifically for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 67 FPS on the Ultra preset to 144 FPS on the Low preset. The High preset produces an average of 90 FPS, while the Medium preset delivers an average of 103 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 118 FPS. This is a narrow band of performance at the top end, with the Ultra preset dropping to 67 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS playability threshold but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages jump significantly. The Low preset reaches 224 FPS, while the High preset averages 139 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 159 FPS, with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS, and the Ultra preset settles at 104 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 120 FPS, indicating that the settings scale has a substantial impact on the GPU workload.

At 1920x1080, the configuration is clearly at its strongest. The Low preset averages 305 FPS, which is the highest recorded number in the entire dataset. The High preset averages 189 FPS, the Medium preset averages 217 FPS with a minimum of 184 FPS and a maximum of 249 FPS, and the Ultra preset still holds an average of 142 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium settings (184 FPS) is higher than the average frame rate at Ultra settings at 1440p, which demonstrates the headroom available at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component is the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate on the Low preset is 305 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low average of 144 FPS. This massive scaling indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions, making the RTX 4070 Ti the bottleneck at 1080p. The fact that the Low preset at 1080p exceeds the Low preset at 1440p by 81 FPS further confirms that the GPU is being saturated as resolution increases.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to a range where the GPU workload is more balanced. The Low preset at 1440p averages 224 FPS, which is still very high, but the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a reduction of 81 FPS, or roughly 27%. This suggests the GPU is starting to become the primary constraint, though the CPU still has ample headroom, as evidenced by the Ultra preset at 1440p averaging 104 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on the Low preset is a drop from 224 FPS to 144 FPS, a reduction of 80 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 67 FPS, which is the lowest recorded average in the dataset. The CPU's role at this resolution is to ensure that frame times remain consistent, and the data for Medium settings shows a minimum of 87 FPS at 4K, which is a narrow 16 FPS delta from the average of 103 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, provides sufficient single-thread performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that remains at or above the 60 FPS playability threshold is the Ultra preset, and the measured average frame rates confirm this across the board.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS, which is the best playable setting. The High preset averages 90 FPS, but the Ultra preset offers the maximum visual quality while still clearing the threshold by 7 FPS. The Medium preset averages 103 FPS and the Low preset averages 144 FPS, but neither provides the visual fidelity of Ultra, so the recommendation is Ultra for players who prioritize image quality.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 104 FPS, which is well above the threshold. This is the clear choice for this resolution, as it provides a 44 FPS margin over the 60 FPS floor. The High preset averages 139 FPS and the Medium preset averages 159 FPS, but the Ultra preset's 104 FPS average is still high enough to support a high-refresh-rate display.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 142 FPS, which is the best playable setting. This leaves a massive 82 FPS margin over the threshold, and the average frame rate is high enough to take advantage of 144Hz monitors. The Low preset averages 305 FPS, but the Ultra preset's 142 FPS is the optimal balance of visual quality and performance, as the data shows no frame rate below 60 FPS at any point in the dataset.

The Verdict

The measured data and the verdictByResolution field both indicate that this configuration can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset combination tested, with all averages clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS, which is playable, and the High preset at 90 FPS offers a more comfortable margin for demanding scenes. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 104 FPS, and at 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 142 FPS.

The verdict is straightforward: this PC is fully capable of running Lockdown Protocol. The lowest recorded average in the entire dataset is 67 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still above the threshold. Players with a 4K display can run the game at Ultra settings and expect a playable experience, while players at 1440p or 1080p have significant headroom for high refresh rates. The minimum frame rate data for Medium settings at each resolution (87 FPS at 4K, 135 FPS at 1440p, 184 FPS at 1080p) further supports the stability of the experience, with no recorded dips below the playability threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearestRivals data for the CPU and GPU provides a basis for understanding what other hardware would behave similarly in this configuration. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, and its closest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has an average score of 83807 and a deltaPct of 0.2%. This indicates that the 285K would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios, such as the low-resolution, high-FPS cases at 1080p.

Other CPU rivals include the AMD EPYC 4584PX with an average score of 83090 (1.1% slower), the AMD EPYC 9135 with an average score of 82980 (1.2% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7F72 with an average score of 85072 (1.3% faster). While these are server-class processors, their benchmark scores suggest they would provide similar CPU throughput in this game, though the gaming-specific performance may vary due to architectural differences not captured in the average score.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44795, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile with a score of 45152 (0.8% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT with a score of 45384 (1.3% faster), the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with a score of 44075 (1.6% slower), and the Intel Arc A730M with a score of 45592 (1.7% faster). These deltaPct values are all within 2% of the RTX 4070 Ti, suggesting that any of these GPUs would produce similar frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios, such as the 4K Ultra preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific CPU and GPU pairing at rank 428 out of 3714 tested combinations. This places the configuration in the top 11.5% of all tested combos, which is a strong result for a game like Lockdown Protocol. The rank reflects the overall performance of the pairing across all resolutions and settings, and the measured data supports this positioning, as the configuration clears the playability threshold at every tested point.

The rank of 428 indicates that while this is a high-performing combination, there are 427 other pairings that deliver higher overall frame rates. This is consistent with the hardware's specifications, as the RTX 4070 Ti is a capable GPU but not the top-tier option in the GeForce 40-series, and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end CPU that sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs and the 84th percentile of all GPUs. The combination's rank suggests that players seeking higher frame rates would need to look at faster GPUs, while the CPU has sufficient headroom to support them.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this configuration achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 305 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 67 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The minimum frame rate for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 135 FPS, with an average of 159 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, while the Core Ultra 9 285K has a score of 83807, a deltaPct of 0.2%, indicating near-identical performance.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 1920x1080 with the Low preset?

A: The data shows that the average frame rate at 1080p Low is 305 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low average of 144 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Q: What rank does this CPU and GPU combination hold among all tested combos in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combination is ranked 428 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 11.5% of all tested setups.